This invention generally relates to computer imaging, and more particularly, to a tool and technique for digital image processing and manipulating.
Traditionally when looking for a new hair style, hat, eyewear, contact lenses, jewelry or makeup, a person visits a store (e.g., department store, salon, jewelry store, specialty store, etc.) that sells the desired product or service. When at the store, the person tries on the article or samples the makeup and observes their new xe2x80x9clookxe2x80x9d in a mirror. This task can become very time consuming, especially when the person wishes to sample numerous hair styles, glasses, makeup color combinations, etc. For example, a person trying on makeup must first clean their face to remove existing makeup before applying new makeup.
With the aid of computer technology, people can access the Internet and find websites with tools that can electronically change a virtual image of a person. The image can be modified by a program that places a virtual item, such as a pair of glasses, a wig or makeup over the appropriate area of the person""s face. This changes the image, which appears as the person with a new xe2x80x9clookxe2x80x9d. Some websites that may provide these features are: makeoverstudio.com, eyeglass.com, beauty-works.com, virtualhair.com, emakeover. com, totalhair.com, virtualmakeover.com, computer-hair.com, and newdo.com.
In order to use these Internet tools, a digital image of a person""s face must be acquired. The person is directed to take a picture with a camera at a predetermined length. The person""s image is taken and used as the before picture of the person. The person is directed to take the picture at a predetermined distance from the camera so that the person""s head appears on-screen having a predetermined size. The image of the person""s head must be the predetermined size since the hair styles, glasses, makeup, etc., are configured to be of a size to precisely cover a specified area of the person""s head in the before picture. For example, the hair styles are virtual wigs drawn to the predetermined size to precisely cover the person""s existing hair. That is, the hairstyle wig must have proportions relative to the person""s head so that the hair style looks natural over the person""s existing hair. Likewise, for an eyewear selection system, the eyeglasses must have a size proportional to the predetermined person""s headsize, so that the glasses will not appear too small or too large on the person""s face.
These types of systems have problems due to the requirement that the person""s head must be a specific size in the before picture. In order to take a picture such that the person""s head appears on the before picture at the desired predetermined size, the person likely needs a ruler or tape measure to measure the distance between the person and the camera. If that person""s head is smaller or larger than average, then that person will have to adjust accordingly so that their head appears as the desired size on the computer screen. This may take several attempts, since the person will not inherently know the exact distance to be away from the camera so that the person""s face will appear having the desired size.
With the related art systems, if the size of the person""s face is not exactly correct, then the article of clothing or makeup will not be aligned with the person""s head, appearing too large or small. Accordingly, the person will not get an accurate image of how they would look with the selected hair style, clothing or makeup, and the resulting image will look unattractive and inaccurate. It therefore would be advantageous to develop a makeover imaging system that allows a user to resize an overlay image to match the size of a person""s electronic image, and superimpose the resized image over the person""s image so that the overlay fits naturally on the person.
The invention includes a makeover system arranged for use in modifying images. The makeover system is an aesthetic overlay imaging computer tool including a user interface that permits the user to modify an overlay image and place the modified image over an image of a person.
In one aspect of the invention, a method that permits a user to modify an overlay image in a makeover system is disclosed. The makeover system can be executed on a computer, including a processor, a display unit, a printer, an input device, a memory, and an interface for communicating with the program, preferably via the Internet. The method includes displaying a before picture representing the image of a person, displaying a set of overlay items for selection of one of the items by the user, the set of overlay items corresponding to an area of the person displayed in the before picture, displaying a selected one of the set of overlay items upon selection of the item by the user, resizing the selected overlay item according to user input to align the size of the selected overlay item with the size of the area of the person, superimposing the resized selected overlay item over the before picture according to user input, such that the item may appear to be worn naturally on the person, and providing an after picture representing a composite image of the superimposed selected overlay item over the image of the person. The method may also include displaying categories of the overlay items for selection of any of the categories by the user, the categories of overlay items corresponding to different areas of the person displayed in the before picture, and retrieving the set of overlay items corresponding to the selected category.
In another aspect of the invention, a makeover system that permits the user to modify an overlay item is disclosed. The makeover system includes an approach for displaying a before picture representing the image of the person, an approach for displaying a set of overlay items for selection of one of the items by the user, the set of overlay items corresponding to an area of the person displayed in the before picture, an approach for displaying a selected one of the set of overlay items upon selection of the item by the user, an approach for resizing the selected overlay item according to user input to align the size of the selected overlay item with the size of the area of the person, an approach for superimposing the resized selected overlay item over the before picture according to user input such that the item may appear to be worn naturally on the person, and an approach for providing an after picture representing a composite image of the superimposed selected overlay item over the image of the person.
In a further aspect of the invention, an executable program preferably embodied on a computer readable medium as a tool that permits a user to modify an overly item and place it over an image of a person is disclosed. The executable program includes a source code segment for displaying a before picture representing the image of the person, a source code segment for displaying a set of overlay items for selection of one of the items by the user, the set of overlay items corresponding to an area of the person displayed in the before picture, a source code segment for displaying a selected one of the set of overlay items upon selection of the item by the user, a source code segment for resizing the selected overlay item according to user input to align the size of the selected overlay item with the size of the area of the person, a source code segment for superimposing the resized selected overlay item over the before picture according to user input such that the item may appear to be worn naturally on the person, and a source code segment for providing an after picture representing a composite image of the superimposed selected overlay item over the image of the person.
In still another aspect of the invention, a computer data signal that permits a user to modify an overlay item and place it over the image of a person is disclosed. The computer data signal includes a signal segment for displaying a before picture representing the image of the person, a signal segment for displaying a set of overlay items for selection of one of the items by the user, the set of overlay items corresponding to an area of the person displayed in the before picture, a signal segment for displaying a selected one of the set of overlay items upon selection of the item by the user, a signal segment for resizing the selected overlay item according to user input to align the size of the selected overlay item with the size of the area of the person, a signal segment for superimposing the resized selected overlay item over the before picture according to user input such that the item may appear to be worn naturally on the person, and a signal segment for providing an after picture representing a composite image of the superimposed selected overlay item over the image of the person.
The above-described aspects are preferably provided via a website created and operated according to the present invention with a novel approach as further described below. A significant aspect of the new website is an interactive tool accessible to a user for changing the size of an overlay item to fit the size of a displayed image. The tool preferably includes an indicia of a direction of resizing the item (eg., a resized bar, arrows, a slide bar, buttons, etc.).